SOUTHEAST Asian (SEA) Games chiefs are searching for a new venue for the 2013 edition after Singapore said it would pull out of hosting the event, a report said.

Singapore's Straits Times newspaper reported that Chris Chan, the country's National Olympic Council's secretary general, on Monday told members of the SEA Games federation council Singapore would withdraw its rights to host the event.

The confirmation came at a meeting of the SEA Games executive committee on Tuesday.

According to the report, the Philippines, Myanmar and Vietnam have expressed an interest in hosting the 2013 Games but a decision will not be made until next year, probably in April, when the council meets again.

Singapore's decision to pull out of hosting the biennial event follows repeated delays to a S$1.87 billion Sports Hub, originally scheduled to be completed next year, the report said.

The facility would have staged major sports such as swimming, athletics and football.

Reports said the project's delays were due to high construction costs and the global economic downturn.